The skies of Mestories turned crimson. Shadows spread like veins of poison across the glowing clouds as a thunderous crack split the heavens open. Every fairy warrior froze, their wings trembling, for they felt a force so heavy it made the air itself collapse.
From the rift above, a chilling laughter slithered through the battlefield.
And then—she descended.
Xylara Kuro-no-Tenshi.
Her wings were not feathery like a fairy's, but vast and jagged like torn shadows. Each beat released black flames that scorched the air. Her skin, pale as bone, was etched with demonic sigils that pulsed like veins of fire. Her eyes—two burning voids of scarlet—pierced through the souls of all who dared to look at her. A long crown of jagged obsidian twisted from her head, and in her claws she carried a scythe forged of darkness, its blade screaming as if it craved blood.
The battlefield fell silent—just before the slaughter began.
"Bow before me, insects," Xylara's voice boomed, layered with echoes as though ten voices spoke at once. "Your precious light ends tonight."
The King of Mestories, though trembling, spread his radiant wings and stood firm. "You will not take our world, Xylara. As long as I live, Mestories will not fall!"
The Queen stood beside him, her staff glowing with pure silver light. "We fight not just for ourselves—but for every fairy who still believes in hope!"
With a defiant cry, the fairy warriors rushed forward. Magic arrows lit up the skies, blades of light clashed against the demons' fangs. For a moment, courage burned bright.
But against Xylara, courage was not enough.
She moved like a storm of death. With one sweep of her scythe, entire battalions of fairies were torn apart, their bodies falling like rain. With a flick of her claws, firestorms consumed villages in the distance. Screams echoed through the air, wings burned to ash, and the once-vibrant skies of Mestories turned into a sea of smoke and blood.
The King struck with his sword of starlight, clashing against Xylara's scythe. The impact shook the earth. The Queen unleashed waves of healing and protective light, shielding as many fairies as she could. But Xylara only laughed, her monstrous form feeding off the chaos.
"You call this resistance?" she mocked. "I crushed greater empires before you were even born."
The King staggered, blood staining his robes. The Queen's staff cracked in her hands. Both still stood, but their breaths grew ragged, their bodies broken.
Meanwhile, Fiona's heart raced as she watched the slaughter. Her father's command echoed in her ears: Take the orbs. Protect them. Escape.
Clutching the glowing crystal orbs tight to her chest, she spread her wings and darted through the battlefield.
"Do not let her leave!" Xylara roared, her voice shaking the ground itself. Suvriel and Lutharion lunged after Fiona, claws tearing through the air.
Fairy soldiers threw themselves into the demons' path, sacrificing their lives just to buy the princess a few breaths more. Tears blurred Fiona's eyes as she darted through fire and shadow, her wings trembling with exhaustion, her heart breaking at every scream behind her.
But somehow—she broke through.
At the edge of the battlefield, Fiona soared into the night, clutching the orbs close. She didn't dare look back, for fear her courage would shatter.
Xylara hovered in the skies, her scythe dripping with the essence of fallen fairies, her monstrous wings blotting out the stars. She watched Fiona vanish into the horizon.
Her lips curled into a sharp, merciless smile.
"Run, little princess. Run as far as you can." Her voice dripped like venom. "No matter where you hide, no matter what world you crawl to…I will find you. And when I do—your hope will burn along with your soul."
The night of Mestories fell silent, save for the weeping of its broken people.
And thus, the hunt began.
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To be continued...